On the shattered fortress wall, the two stood in a daze, watching Shinnō leap away into the distance. Ren Uchiha took a deep breath, looked at the scroll containing the Zero-Tails dark chakra, and tucked it into his leg bandage.
The Zero-Tails was known as a mass of dark chakra, a power born naturally in the ninja world outside the nine Great Tailed Beasts. The darker the user's heart, the stronger the power it could unleash. Holding the scroll, Ren felt a weight settle in his chest.
I don't understand, he thought. I'm just a guy using 'justice' as a front to find a way to die. Why do I keep getting these precious gifts? It was a warning. His actions, though driven by a skewed motive, were mirroring those of a typical shonen protagonist.
Seeking death should be easy, but the side effects of being a protagonist are following me. Why does some random 'Old Man' (mentor) always pop up to help at the critical moment? This is all wrong. His true goal was simple: involve no one, change no major plot points, and find a fittingly strong enemy to kill him in this Great War.
Where did it go wrong? Ren's suspicious gaze landed on the girl beside him.
He had an epiphany. The problem is her! This girl looks cute but is as troublesome as a demon! She's the one who insisted on following me, then dragged in Hidan and Shinnō, forming this absurd squad. Women really do interfere with my plans to die!
"We aren't leaving yet," Ren said, his face darkening. He swatted Mei's hand away. After a moment of complex emotions flickering in his eyes, he asked coldly:
"You said you were looking for someone crucial to you and your village, right?"
Mei blinked, stunned. "That's right. My primary reason for being in the Land of Hot Springs is to find the ruler our village expects."
Ren stared at her with a piercing, interrogating gaze. "On the cliff, you said if I created an opening, you could find the info you needed and Hidan's location. Well... did you find it?"
Mei felt increasingly uncomfortable under his icy stare. "I found Hidan's location. We can go there now, you don't need to wor—"
"I'm not asking about that," Ren interrupted sharply. "I'm asking: Did you find the information you wanted?"
Mei's heart sank. Ren's words suddenly dragged her out of this "ninja adventure game" where justice prevails, and back into the harsh reality. She went silent for a moment, then bit her lip and nodded. "I found it."
"Then," Ren continued, "you have no reason to keep going, right?"
He pinned her with his gaze, his voice filled with a detached indifference that felt like an interrogation. "You have what you wanted. In exchange, I just need you to use your Lava Style to melt a hole in the ground so I can infiltrate. After that, stay out of my way and get as far away from here as possible. Do I make myself clear?"
Mei looked up, her emerald eyes wide with shock. "Wait, Ren! We agreed to save Hidan! He's a member of our—"
"SHUT UP!" Ren roared. He gave a cold, disdainful laugh. "This squad was weird enough to begin with. You, a Mist ninja—one of those responsible for the chaos on this land—actually pitying a brat from Yugakure? Who are you trying to show mercy to?"
"Besides... you, who just froze in fear when facing Kakuzu, what could you possibly do? If you had been more decisive back then, we wouldn't have run into him. If you had led the retreat immediately after, Hidan wouldn't have been captured. Every step you take is a wrong turn. How can I possibly trust someone so foolish?"
Every word tore through Mei's heart, stripping away her illusions. Her expression hardened, her gaze turning cold. "Ren Uchiha! What exactly do you think everything we've been through so far was?!"
She clenched her fists, glaring at him. For a Mist ninja raised on the "Shinobi are tools" creed, this single day had been a brand-new experience. That feeling of sincere trust, of having someone watch your back... that brief dream of something beautiful was being shredded by Ren.
Ren's face remained a mask of coldness. "Maybe... just a mutually beneficial transaction?" He looked at her flatly. "Let's end it here. If you keep following, you'll only hinder me. So choose—finish the trade and get lost, or just turn around and leave now. You've already got what you came for, haven't you?"
"Or," he sneered, "did my words hurt too much for a 'big-chested, brainless' woman like you to handle? Do you want to try and kill me right here?"
He chuckled softly, spinning his crimson Sharingan to face her. "I wouldn't be surprised. That's what a ninja from the Blood Mist would do, right?"
Mei took several heavy, deep breaths. Her green eyes flared with rage. She clenched her hands, silent for a long moment, before finally exhaling through gritted teeth.
"If you insist on calling everything a transaction... then so be it. I'll open the path. And then... you can jump down and die for all I care! I'm done with you!"
Ren smiled. "Perfect."
To Ren, life in this world was a lonely game meant to end in death. He just needed to run forward. Sever these meaningless bonds. Disappoint these forced expectations. It didn't matter. None of it mattered. Emotional connections only dulled his senses and slowed his movements.
In that moment, Ren saw his own heart and his path clearly. Thick clouds gathered above the castle, and a light rain began to fall. Carrying this resolve, he and Mei walked in silence toward the center of the fortress.
Neither spoke a word. Finally, they stood before the main gates of the castle.